Page 29 of Release Me

Her offer comes as a shock to my brain and a delight to my stomach. “Are you sure you won’t need both?”

“No. I always make an extra when Mr. Adler has meetings, but he only eats one.”

I hate the way my spine straightens when I hear his name, but I’m thankful that Elle is too busy tending to the fish to notice. “And what about his guest? Won’t they notice if their plate comes out with everything but the protein?”

I’m asking the question like my stomach hasn’t already staked its claim on that second tuna steak, but I have to be sure I’m not eating someone else’s food. It would be so embarrassing to explain to Desiree that I got fired over a piece of fish.

“No,” Elle says, shifting the pan off of the eye that’s still glowing red. “His wife doesn’t eat meat.”

12

SEBASTIAN

“Ludus: Antigua,” I muse in response to Talia’s pitch, throwing a napkin over what’s left of my lunch. “You want to take an illegal enterprise international?”

“Sex work is legal in Antigua, Sebastian.”

“But brothels are not, Talia.”

“Might I remind you that neither of those things are legal in the United States? We won’t be breaking any laws in Antigua that we aren’t already breaking here.”

Technically, that’s true, but in Antigua we’d be breaking laws without the protection of the connections I have stateside. I rub at the back of my neck, considering the wisdom of diving into this further. Talia watches me, and everything about her gaze tells me that she’s not about to let this go. I let out a sigh.

“Where’s this coming from?”

Victory dances in her eyes. She knows as soon as I start asking questions, she’s got me on the hook. “The same place it came from last time. The resort is attracting escorts, and we don’t have the manpower necessary to provide constant supervision for the villas. So far we haven’t had any issues with things getting violent, but we both know it’s only a matter of time before cops are knocking on my door.”

Just the thought has me frowning. I don’t like the idea of anyone, least of all some assholes with impulse control issues fucking up what Talia and I have worked so hard to build. The Cerros resort in Antigua was our largest undertaking, and the most risky. Not just because of the size, but also because of the kind of people we serve. Talia wanted to take advantage of the exotic backdrop to really lean into the more primal urges of our clientele. Under her instruction, Cerros Antigua has become one of the top hedonistic resorts in the world, hosting events that cater to kinks and fetishes of all varieties. What she’s built is important to her, which means it’s important to me.

“We can’t have that.”

“No, we can’t.” She gives me a broad smile and then sits back in her seat, her shoulders sagging with relief. “If it makes you feel better, I already have a spot scoped out.”

“That depends on the number attached to the spot you scoped out.”

“Oh, please, we both know money is not an issue.”

It’s not. I could buy the entire island twice and still have more money than I’d ever be able to spend in this lifetime or the next. The problem is the only person I’d pay to handle the Ludus build in Antigua is giving me the run around about a job in California. I guess I’ve got to learn how to trust someone with a contractor’s license besides Dominic Alexander.

“Start with the land, and we’ll go from there.”

“Perfect.” Talia finishes off her glass of water. “Now we can get to the second order of business.”

“Second order of business or the real reason you’re here?”

“What makes you think the conversation we just had isn’t the real reason I’m here?”

“Because we could have discussed a land purchase over the phone or via email.”

She purses her lips. “True, I guess I kind of wanted to look you in the eyes when I told you that I’m getting married.”

“You’re engaged?” There’s no way to keep the shock out of my voice. “You just had my dick in your mouth yesterday, and you’re engaged?”

“Sebastian, you more than anyone, know that a ring isn’t going to stop me from fucking who I want when I want.” She’s right. The flawless diamond I put on her finger didn’t keep her from falling into bed with any and every one who caught her eye. “And for the record, I was engaged the last time your dick was inside me.”

“Great, that’s great, now I’ve gone from the man you cheat on to the man you cheat with.”

Talia rolls her eyes. “It’s not cheating when you and your partner have an understanding.”

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